Engine starter



3, 1965 o. E. DlETRlCH 3,170,540

ENGINE STARTER Filed Dec. 2, 1963 S Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.4 FIG. 5

1 Ill/1 Ill/ll Ill/1 ////1 INVENTOR: OTTO E. DIETR ICH BY Jom F Schmidt A'i'i'orue United States Patent 3,170,540 ENGINE STARTER Otto E. Dietrich, 617 W. Jackson St., Morton, Ill. Filed Dec. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 327,478 7 Claims. (Cl. 185-40) This invention relates to a remote-controlled, hydraulically loaded, spring-powered engine starter. This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial Number 116,479, filed June 12, 1961, now abandoned.

To load the springs of the starter and control their release from any reasonable distance from the starter and engine is a special feature of this invention.

The main object of this invention is to provide a low cost, easily operated small engine starter, that can be used in place of the expensive electric generator, starter, battery, switch equipment and their maintenance cost.

Another object is to provide an engine starter powered by springs that are loaded from a distance, with an effort which can be varied by simply changing the length of the lever on the hand operated pump, or by changing the size of the pump plunger.

Another object is to provide a spring motor, the speed of which can be controlled by adjusting a valve.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the starter as it appears when mounted on an engine, with parts broken away and in section;

' FIG. 2 shows the hand operated controls, in this case mounted on the handle of a small garden tractor;

FIG. 3 is a view in section on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in section on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view in section on line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the frame or basic support of the starter is made up of two plates 1 and 2, on which are mounted piston rods 3 and 4 and pistons 3a and 4a. The rods are securely fastened, as by welding, to their plates to keep them from springing apart under load. Plates 1 and 2 are rigidly fastened to side plates 5 and 6, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Bearing housings 7 and 8 are securely fastened to side plates 5 and 6, as shown in FIG. 3.

The preferred construction of this frame Work is to Weld the bearing housings to the side plates, weld the rods to the end plates and then bolt the end plates to the side plate structure.

The cylinder structures are made up of cylinders 9 and 10, caps 11 and 12, spacers 13 and 14, outer tubes 15 and 16 and gear racks 17 and 18. These parts are preferably assembled as shown and welded in place. This leaves an annular recess in each cylinder assembly for compression springs 19 and 20. The two gear racks 1'7 and 18 mesh with a pinion 21.

FIG. 2 shows an arrangement to load the springs and to control their release remotely, as from the handle of a garden tractor. A lever 22 operates a plunger 23 in a pump 24. At 25 is a fluid reservoir, at 26 an intake line, a check valve for this line at 27, a pressure line from the pump at 28, a check valve for this line at 29 and the control valve at 30.

The gear train mechanism can be seen in FIG. 3. Pinion 21, in mesh with racks 17 and 18, is fastened to a shaft 31. A spacer 32 is locked to the bearing housing by a setscrew 33. This spacer locks the ball bearings in place in the housing. A large gear 34, retained on the shaft by a ring 35, meshes with a second pinion 36, retained on shaft 37 by a ring 38. Bearing 39 is kept from moving farther into housing 8 by a ring 40 which is locked to the housing by a setscrew 41. A similar arrangement is shown on the opposite end of this shaft. Another large gear 42 is retained on shaft 37 by a ring 43. A ring 44 is ice locked to the bearing housing by a set screw 45 which keeps bearing 46 from moving into the housing. A'final drive pinion 47 is retained on a shaft 48 by a ring 49. A ring 50 on the opposite end of the shaft and a ring 51 lock this final drive in place. The gears in this train are kept from turning on their shafts by any conventional key arrangement, not shown.

A one way clutch is shown at 52; clutch 52'will turn with the final drive shaft when the springs are being compressed and will have no effect on the engine drive shaft. When the springs are released, the clutch will turn in the opposite direction with the final drive shaft, engaging the engine drive shaft and turning it also. Since there are a number of one way clutches on the market, it is not the intention of this starter design to be limited to any certain one.

At 53 is shown a front gear cover plate. A mounting flange 54 is shown with a cutout at 55 to provide clearance for the gears.

FIG. 4 shows the bearing housing 7 cut out at 56 and 57 to provide clearance for the outer tubes of the cylinders and the gear racks.

FIG. 5 shows similar cutouts in housing 8.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6, dififering principally from the embodiment described above in that the piston assembly and cylinder assembly are reversed in their relationship to the frame and the engine drive pinion. Thus, whereas the piston assemblies are secured to the frame and the cylinder assemblies are secured to the rack in the first embodiment, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the cylinder assembly is secured to the frame and the piston assembly is secured to the rack.

More specifically, FIGS. 1 and 3 show two rather complex cylinder assemblies carrying racks which drive the pinion 21. In FIG. 6, the cylinder assemblies comprise a simple cylinder element 102 secured, as by a Weldment, to a plate 104 and a simple cylinder element 106 similarly secured to a plate 108. A piston assembly consists of a rod 110, suitably packed as at 112, substantially filling the interior of cylinder 102 so that the packed end serves as a piston element, the piston and cylinder elements being relatively reciprocable and cooperating to form an expansible chamber device wherein the chamber is the space 113 in cylinder element 102 and the space 113 in cylinder element 106. When space 113 (or 113) is a minimum, the expansible chamber device can be described as retracted. A connecting rod plate 114 is secured to the end of the piston rod opposite the packed or piston end. A shell 116 is secured to plate 114 and is spaced from the rod to form an annular space 118 with the rod, space 118 preferably being large enough to receive cylinder 102 Without contact between cylinder 102 and shell 116.

Even as plate 114 is secured as by welding to one end of shell 116, so an annular member 120 is secured to the opposite end of shell 116 and carries a second shell 122. The two shells 116 and 122 form an annular spring housing or space 124 which receives a compression spring 126. As will appear to those skilled in the art, spring 126 of FIG. 6 corresponds to spring 20 of FIG. 1. Spring 126 bears at its right end against plate 108 and at its left end against annular member 120 as a reaction member, being compressed between plate 108 and member 120.

Shell 122 carries a rack 128 which meshes with an engine drive pinion 130. Pinion 130 is mounted on the engine shaft in the same manner as drive pinion 21 of the FIG. 1 embodiment.

The foregoing description of the cylinder and piston arrangement applies specifically to the assemblies above the pinion 130, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the cylinder and piston assemblies below pinion 130 are similar, and need not be described in detail here.

Operation To operate'the starter (FIGS. 1-5), reservoir 25 is filled with fluid, control valve 30 is closed and the pump is operated by hand lever 22. On the suction stroke, fluid is drawn out of the reservoir, through line 26, through check'valve' 27, and into the pump. On the pressure stroke, fluid is forced out of the pump, through check valve 29, through line 28, through the fluid passages and into the cylinders which then compress the springs. The springs are compressed the maximum amount when the cylinders stop against the end plates. During this time the gear train was traveling backwards and the one way clutch did not turn the engine drive shaft.

To rotate the engine drive shaft, control valve 30 is opened, releasing the fluid under pressure from the springs, allowing the cylinders to return to their original positions. As the cylinders move back, the racks 1'7 and 18 turn the gear mechanism in the opposite direction and the clutch drives the, engine drive shaft. 7

While I have here shown two forms which the invention may take, those two forms are merely examples of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a hollow piston rod secured to the support, a' hollow piston on the piston rod, a cylinder having a closed end and an open end and engaging the piston with the piston rod extending through said open end, the cylinder being reciprocable relative to the piston,

a spring housing larger'than the cylinder, means securing the housing and the cylinder to define an annular space between the housing and the cylinder, a spring in the annular space and compressed between said securing means and the support, a pinion on the output shaft, a rack on the housing and meshing with the pinion, a fluid pump, the pump having a fluid inlet and a pressure fluid discharge, means connecting said discharge with the closed end of the cylinder and including the hollow of the piston rod and the hollow of the piston, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from the closed end of the cylinder, whereby expansion of the spring imparts a linear impulse to the spring housing and the rack turns the pinion.

2. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the

starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a hollow piston rod secured to the support, a hollow piston on the piston rod, a cylinder having a closed end and an open end and engaging the piston with the piston rod extending through said open end, the cylinder being reciprocable relative to the piston, a spring housing larger than the cylinder, means securing the housing and the cylinder to define an annular space between the housing and the cylinder, a spring in the annular space and compressed between said securing means and the support, a pinion on the output shaft, a rack on the housing and meshing with the pinion, a fluid pump, the pump having a fluid inlet and a pressure fluid discharge, means to mount the pump at a point remote from the engine to be started, means connecting said discharge with the closed end of the cylinder and including the hollow of the piston rod and the hollow of the piston, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from the closed end of the cylinder, whereby expansion of the spring imparts a linear impulse to the spring housing and the rack turns the pinion. I

3. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a pair of opposed hollow piston rods secured to opposite sides of the support, a hollow piston secured to each piston rod, a cylinder for each piston, each cylinder having a closed end and an open end and engaging its piston with the piston rod thereof extending through the open end of the cylinder, the cylinder being reciprocable relative to its piston, .a spring housing for put shaft and. disposed. between the housings, a rack on each housing and meshing with the pinion, a fluid pump, the pump having a fluid inlet and a pressure fluid'discharge, means connecting said discharge with the closed end of each cylinder and including the hollows of the respective pistons andpiston rods, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from the closed end of each cylinder, whereby expansion of the springs imparts linear impulses to the spring housings and the racks turn the pinion.

4. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a piston assembly and a cylinder assembly, the two assemblies comprising relatively re ciprocable piston and cylinder elements cooperating to form an expansible chamber device, means securing one assembly to the support, means coaxial and cooperating with the other a-s'sembly't'o form an annular spring housing, a spring in the annular housing and biasing the expansible chamber device'toward ,a'retracted position, a rack on the housing, a pinion on the output shaft and meshing with the rack, 21 fluid pump having a fluid inlet and a pressure fluid discharge, means connecting said discharge with the chamber of the expansible chamber device whereby expansion of said chamber compresses the spring, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from said chamber whereby expansion of the spring imparts a linear impulse to the spring housing and the rack turns the pinion.

5. A'starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a piston assembly and acylinder assembly, the two assemblies comprising relatively reciprocable piston and cylinder elements cooperating to form an expansible chamber device, means securing one assembly to the support, means coaxial and cooperating with the other assembly to form an annular spring housing, a spring in the annular housing and biasing the expansible chamber device toward a retracted position, a rack on the housing, a pinion on the output shaft and meshing with the rack, a fluid pump having a fluid inlet'and a pressure fluid discharge, means'to mount the pump at a point remote from the engine to be started, means connecting said discharge with the chamber of the expansible chamber device, whereby expansion of said chamber compresses the spring, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from said chamber whereby expansion of the spring imparts a linear impulse to the spring housing and the rack turns the pinion.

6. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a pinion on the output shaft,an expansible chamber device on each side of the pinion, each said device including a piston element of a piston assembly and a cylinder element of a cylinder assembly, the two elements being relatively reciprocable and cooperating to form one of the expansible chamber devices,

means securing one assembly to'the support, means coopcrating with the other assembly to form a spring housing, a spring in the housing and biasing the expansible chamber device toward a retracted position, a rack on the housing meshing with the pinion, a fluid pump having a fluid inlet and a pressure fluid discharge, means connecting said discharge with the chambers of the two expansible chamber devices whereby expansion of a chamber compresses its associated spring, and means to permit rapid escape of fluid from said chambers whereby expansion of the springs imparts linear impulses to their associated spring housings and the racks turn the pinion.

7. A starter for an engine having an output shaft, the starter comprising a support adapted for mounting adjacent the output shaft, a piston assembly and a cylinder assembly, the two assemblies comprising relatively reciprocable piston and cylinder elements cooperating to form an expansible chamber device, means securing one assembly to the support, meanscooperating with the other assembly to form a reaction member for a spring, a spring disposed between the reaction member and the support and biasing the expansible chamber device toward a retracted position,

a rack secured by and movable with said reaction member,

permit rapid escape of fluid from said chamber whereby release of energy by the spring imparts a linear impulse to the rack and the rack turns the pinion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,043,393 Bock Nov. 5, 1912 2,624,424 Kliewer Jan. 6, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 399,021 France Apr. 8, 1909 399,943 France Mar. 11, 1909 706,079 Germany May '19, 1941 

1. A STARTER FOR AN ENGINE HAVING AN OUTPUT SHAFT, THE STARTER COMPRISING A SUPPORT ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING ADJACENT THE OUTPUT SHAFT, A HOLLOW PISTON ROD SECURED TO THE SUPPORT, A HOLLOW PISTON ON THE PISTON ROD, A CYLINDER HAVING A CLOSED END AN OPEN END AND ENGAGING THE PISTON WITH THE PISTON ROD EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPEN END, THE CYLINDER BEING RECIPROCABLE RELATIVE TO THE PISTON, A SPRING HOUSING LARGER THAN THE CYLINDER, MEANS SECURING THE HOUSING AND THE CYLINDER TO DEFINE AN ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN THE HOUSING AND THE CYLINDER, A SPRING IN THE ANNULAR SPACE AND COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID SECURING MEANS AND THE SUPPORT, A PINION ON THE OUTPUT SHAFT, A RACK ON THE HOUSING AND MESHING WITH THE PINION, A FLUID PUMP, THE PUMP HAVING A FLUID INLET AND A PRESSURE FLUID DISCHARGE, MEANS CONNECTING SAID DISCHARGE WITH THE CLOSED END OF THE CYLINDER AND INCLUDING THE HOLLOW OF THE PISTON ROD AND THE HOLLOW OF THE PISTON, AND MEANS TO PERMIT RAPID ESCAPE OF FLUID FROM THE CLOSED END OF THE CYLINDER, WHEREBY EXPANSION OF THE SPRING IMPARTS A LINEAR IMPULSE TO THE SPRING HOUSING AND THE RACK TURNS THE PINION. 